The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-12-03


towns. The old town lies at the east, and
the new part has been rapidly building
westward until Its limits are almost out OF
sight Of the original plot. Still with all Its
lean and gaunt appearance, Marseilles Is
hustler when II comes TO sensations and
social events. The young folks haven't
gotten over the Dawell mill warming yet,
for 1t was one of the biggest occasions
Marseilles has witnessed for s0me time.
The town lies up against and upon the
north bluff, and many Of the fine residences
are situated upon Its heights. A magnif-
cent view, up and down the river, may be
obtained from Its summit, and 1t Is said,
how truly the Marseillese alone can tell
that on moonlight nights the fair maids
and stalwart beaux stand upon the wooded
heights and gaze upon the upturned face
of the sweeping Illinois.
The natives haven't experienced real
live dog fight since Hon. Bill Barker shook
the dust of the burg from his congress
CATERS. Hon. Bill was great on dogs, and
used to chase the boys out of the river with
big bull dog, and smile q soft, sad smile
as they mounted the neighbOring trees.
But Hon. Bits career was adjourned one
day, and he and the white bull dog depart
ed for Ottawa. But the lovers of sensa-
tionalism were not to be put of, for imme-
diately after Bills departure, Montgomery
started the Marseilles Daily Meas.
The business houses of Marseilles are
strung along one street, Main st., and many
of them are substantial brick structures.
Trowbridge's drug store is perhaps the
most imposing, and when Trowbridge him
self stands in the window and views the
Kickapoo Indian procession, 1t becomes
doubly 30. Shipman, the grocer, Is an old
land mark, and we couldn't find man In
the town who remembered the time of his
coming. Memo Jennings has purchased
Eddie Colwelrs restaurant and CONNECTION.
cry stand, and makes as good ice cream as
the next fellow. Mrs. Brodbeck and Mrs.
Cutter are the only lady merchants on the
ssreet, and hold their end up we'll. GIL
lens new dry goods house with Lauf
Mannix at its head, is a new venture and
measures Its age by weeks, but It has q
trade that is very encouraging, and Lauf Is
already talking street railway, electric
lights, ETC., a la Ottawa. He really seems
to think that the town ought to have the
free delivery. Richmond 4 Oily, the
butchers, have the finest shop In town. 1t
Is in the new block that was erected last
year, which has plate glass fronts Sails
bury, the furniture man, Shaefer & Bron-
son, and Butterfield, the grocers, are all
old stand.bys, and Marseilles would be lost
without them. ]. r. Galloway, the hard
ware man is q boom citizen, and so are
the general merchandise men, Cowles
Bros, Thurber q Co., and B. A. Roath.
Among the many more who WELD the
yard stick or the scales, are Wilson & Pies
ter, 8. T. Osgood, G. X. Bingham (who
Yields the platter, r. E. Egbert, John
Bennett and John Lord. These are all
good business men and have held sway
for 10! these many years. Guess we have
them all. No, there's George Clark and
Bennett, the grocery men of the old town
They are the main stays Of the east end.
The pretty town has many fine resi-
dences, some In the valley and others on
the high north bluff. Among the more
prominent are those of s. T. Osgood, NJ. A.
Fitz, Trowbridge and the three Adams
brothers. There are others just as fine
but we missed them in our haste.
Like her sister village, Seneca, Mar.
settles has but one policeman. He is a
terror to ye tough, and great admirer of
Pat Mesgher, of Seneca. We observed a
gent telling this Marseilles cooper
how he and couple OF others made
Meagher take water one frosty afternoon
but the Marseilles man said, may! Pat
Meagher must have been out of town when
you was there" We sort of took II as a
compliment to Pat.
| We don't know who the champion liar
of the town is, but of course, there is a
champion liar. No social fabric is com.
plete without liar of some kind Hold
on! Come to think of 1t, the besming face
of Stone, of the Register, looms up before
US.
Sammy Robinson is the boss boy of the
village, and don't you forget It, He is one
of the best posted horsemen for his age in
} the country, and he is great boy with the
girls. He is a roller skater OF no mean
pretensions, too, and creates quite Juror
on the wheels.
George BONNER, who used to hold forth
on Court street, In this city, runs the Rail.
road hotel in the place. 1t is three stories
thigh. and the Only Carter, late of the O.
H. s. performs the ardorous duties of clerk.
We suppose 1t is the Railroad Hotel, be.
Icouco n ia riOht alonu aida tho Rnrk Ia